Packed up his tent and went Home...II Corr. 5:4-8

Many of my readers are already aware of this, but on a snowy evening, October 21, my Dad went to be with the Lord. I did not become aware of this until two days later, when he hadn't responded to an e-mail I had sent him the day before. Usually he responded very quickly, within hours, at least. So I drove across town to check on him, only to find he had he had probably passed away nearly48 hours earlier. That led to a long evening with sheriffs deputies, the coroner, and finally, the mortuary.

I am just now begin to see through the fog and the shock, and to realize all I have lost. And yet, all I have gained. There are many blessings I have gained in having a simple, yet wise and Godly father, who was also quite the prankster.

As we laid him to rest next to my mom this past week out in California, I was reminded of the love he had for me and my little family. His family.

For starters, dad always had a joke or a prank to pull. Sometimes it was stuffing paper into people's shoes, or sneaking up behind a coworker and blasting them with the air compressor. Or just a funny card or a forwarded e-mail joke. He loved to make people laugh, and he seemed to almost always be grining. I knew he was in a lot of pain sometimes, from a previous back injury, aching knees, hips or shoulders. But he never let that get in the way of making his grandchildren smile. They were his joy!

He was always providing for us, too. Whether it was working long hours in the southern CA aerospace industry to make sure I had new school clothes and there was money for Christmas presents, or setting aside part of his inheritance from his brother's farm to make sure I could afford college without debt, he did what needed to be done. Even when my wife and I needed a little more money to make a solid down payment on our first home, Dad was there, putting up some money we could pay back with no interest. And, of course, after we paid on it for a year or two, he forgave the debt.

Even with his final expenses, he wanted to be sure he paid his own way and was not a burden. Several years ago, he had set aside a few thousand in a CD in our names, so we could give him a decent burial. It was one of the more painful moments in my days when I cashed that in to do just that last week.

I am reminded, in all this, of our heavenly Father's love, who paid our debts for us. "For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ( Romans 5:8)

The night after dad had passed away, but before we knew about it, my son's Boys Devotional Bible had a story about a boy who was talking with his father about missing his grandfather who had passed away recently. Dad reminded the son that when we go out to go camping, we are excited and our tent is so new and fun to set up. The campground seems like a wonderful place. But, eventually, the tent gets dirty, and feels cramped. We get homesick. So , we pack up our tent, and go home. Then, he shared II Corinthians 5:4-8.

What a loving Father we have, who would give us such a story and verse the day before we knew we needed it! So, we can be sure of this...Dad packed up his tent, answering the Roll being called up 'Yonder, and he went Home. We will miss him for a long time, but we know that we are left with loving, happy memories, and a Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine, and will help us see it through until it is tiem for us to pack up our tents!